Fear of failure drives people to push their own limits. And it's when fear is at its highest that people count on leadership the most.

For example, if a player has been through it before, going into Media Day knowing what it's all about might prevent him from saying something stupid. Also, during practices, he can reflect on how he prepared the first time and use that knowledge to push further.

I'll never forget a conversation I had with Joe Montana before his last Super Bowl in 1990. I said to him, "You've won three championships and you've been (two-time) MVP of the Super Bowl. This has got to be second nature to you. You can't be scared or nervous."

To this day, I use Montana's response in my motivational speeches. He said, "Joe, if you're not afraid to lose, than losing means nothing."

It's a great analogy for football. I remember looking into Montana's eyes when he was on the field. I saw a glaze of seriousness. I saw someone who was scared. Not of his opponents, but afraid to disappoint himself.

Think about it: Why do people work so hard? Because they don't want to lose. Fear of failure drives people to push their own limits. And it's when fear is at its highest that people count on leadership the most.

So when preparing for the biggest game of their careers, football players will look to the more knowledgeable veterans, who'll remind them why they are here in the first place. That doesn't necessarily mean just the guys with rings. But a Super Bowl ring certainly doesn't hurt a player's credibility.

Only one Tampa Bay Buccaneer player has a ring (Keenan McCardell, with Washington in '91), but they have enough experience to not be completely naïve. They still have that same fear of losing. They've worked too hard, for too long to come here and throw it all away because of outside influences or a night of drinking and carousing. Today's players are smarter than that. They know better than to blow their opportunity on foolishness.

Back when I was playing, I didn't know better. Leading up to the second of my back-to-back Super Bowls, I went on radio and TV shows. I thought, "Heck, we've beaten the Raiders before, we'll do it again." I was going to enjoy my Super Bowl experience.

I have very few regrets about my football career, but that's one of them. I was wrong. And what most of today's players have come to realize is that you can enjoy the Super Bowl only after you win it. Until then, it's all business. I forgot that part. I became too comfortable and didn't focus or pay attention to the necessary details that would enable us to win.

Getting too comfortable can often be a hindrance. In football, there always needs to be a sense of trepidation. If a player knows the game plan too well, there will be no room for reaction. If something doesn't go the way it's supposed to, a player needs the ability to improvise and make plays.

One thing I've learned in the last few years covering football is that today's player is different from the player I was or knew. Today's players are better prepared and schooled in how it works. A player like Jerry Rice can influence a Jerry Porter and advise him. He can remind him to reflect on the biggest game of his career. Or to focus on how he approached the championship game and use various concentration techniques.

Experience clearly favors the Raiders in this matchup. Many of the players have played in Super Bowls with other teams, which could also add various perspectives. At team meetings, they can address their teammates and share inspirational stories.

Young, inexperienced guys can get scared and freeze up, or they can play loose because they don't know well enough to be scared. In my first Super Bowl, I was so hyped up that I don't remember the first five minutes of the game. About three weeks later, I tried to sit down with my father and watch the game. As I looked at the film, I realized I was completely out of it until I ran a reverse and got kicked in the head. Only then, did everything come back to me.

Experienced players bring knowledge that can be an asset but it's certainly not a game breaker. There is still a game to be played. So it's only a fraction of the task at hand.

A game analyst for ESPN's Sunday Night Football, former NFL QB Joe Theismann won a Super Bowl and a league MVP award. He'll be writing a daily Cup o' Joe for ESPN.com during Super Bowl week.